A Family Affair
by xjoedirtx
Summary: Fareyna, a Bosmer assassin, has a contract taken out on her life. Little does she know that the assassin hired to kill her will be the key to unlock the secrets of her past.


**Chapter 1: Death in the Clearing**

Fareyna's arm was steady as she held the string of her bow in place. The target was almost hidden in the brush, only visible when he moved the bushes aside as he searched for his lost ring. Fareyna knew it wasn't there. The ring was in her back pocket, one of the perks of her contract. It would bring her at least eight hundred septims, a good bonus. Suddenly, her target got up onto his feet and began walking back to his horse. Fareyna knew her time was now. She let go of the bowstring and watched as her arrow flew into her target's spine, right in the center of his back. _Enough to paralyze him,_ she thought. _Time to finish it._

The target was on the ground, moaning in agony. Fareyna was only a few feet away from him when her ears picked up the sound of something approaching, fast. It took her less than a second to recognize the sound as a horse, galloping at full speed. She quickly ducked behind a nearby tree, out of sight of her target but within earshot of his almost lifeless body. Her Bosmer ears heard the horse slowing down, and she peeked out from behind her hiding place.

A Nord on a horse slowly came into the clearing where her target lay, an arrow sticking out of his back. Both the Nord and his horse looked tired. The Nord had three arrows protruding from his body, one in his shield arm and two in his left side, and there was a deep, bloody gash across his midsection. He stopped his horse a few feet from the target, dismounted, and removed his claymore from its resting position across his back, sticking it point-first into the ground nearby. _Clearly a marauder,_ she presumed, _must be fresh from a fight. I wonder if… _

Her thought went away as she heard more noises coming from the direction that the Nord had. She closed her eyes and directed all her focus in that direction. She could hear men coming, running.

_Must be for him…_

Fareyna held her position. The Nord quickly snapped his head in the direction he had come, and pulled his claymore from the ground.

_He must have heard them too, _she thought to herself as the Nord prepared himself for battle. He was clearly critically injured, but Fareyna's knowledge of Nords told her that he would still have plenty of fight left in him. A faint blue glow from his claymore hinted that the weapon had been enchanted.

Out of the trees came two Imperial men, an Argonian, and an Orc. All of them were in armor that looked to Fareyna like Dwarven armor, and carried Glass long blades. They stood twenty feet from the Nord, staring him down.

"Following me was the last mistake you four will ever make!" shouted the Nord

"Hah!" laughed the Orc. "Fool! You're outnumbered, and wounded. You stand no chance against us, even with that blade of yours!" The Orc charged and swung his blade

The Nord lifted his blade back, like an axeman chopping wood, and brought it down on the Orc, cleaving his skull in two and stopping him dead. The two Imperials looked at each other, then at the Argonian, who nodded to them and drew his bow. The Imperials began to slowly flank the Nord, who laid his claymore down on the ground and picked up the Orc's sword and shield.

The Imperial on his left charged in first, and was met with the Nord's blade in his gut. This allowed the Argonian to fire an arrow at him, which struck its mark in his lower back. The Nord shouted in pain, and turned around and swung his blade, catching the second charging Imperial on his right arm, effectively severing it. As the Imperial fell to the ground, Fareyna heard another noise coming from the trees, but this time only barely, and it was much closer.

_What is that? _She asked herself as her eyes searched the woodland for the source of the noise. _Why does it sound so close?_

Fareyna turned her attention from the noise to the battle when she heard a scream of pain from the Nord. The Argonian had fired an arrow directly into his chest, and as the Nord fell to his knees in pain, he prepared another arrow.

"Finally you will die, Nord" cheered the Argonian. "You betrayed our dear family, our home, our way of life, to those Bandit scum. I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you leave me no other option. I loved you, brother, but you must DIE!"

As the Nord was about to speak, the Argonian fired the arrow into his head, instantly killing him.

_Enough delay, _Fareyna said to herself, eyes switching between the Argonian and her target. _I need to kill him now, if this Argonian bastard dies too, what matter is it to me? It happens now._

Fareyna prepared her bow and aimed her arrow at the Argonian. However, before she released, he was struck with another arrow, directly into the side of his head.

_What the hell was that!?_

Fareyna's question was answered mere seconds later, when a figure appeared from out of the trees. She remained in her position, arrow still ready to fire at a moment's notice.

What came out of the trees was another Bosmer, wearing leather armor, but with what seemed like small portions of glass armor reinforcing the vital areas. Fareyna looked on as the Bosmer slung his bow across his back and slowly walked up to the Argonian. She watched as he knelt down next to the body and drew a knife. She watched as he removed the Argonian's armor and cut into his body, removing what was necessary to get to his insides. The Bosmer cut around the insides for a few seconds, finally pulling out what looked like the Argonian's heart, and stored it in a small leather pouch on his side

_Hmm, _Fareyna thought, _an assassin. Morag Tong, maybe? Or another branch of the Dark Brotherhood? I've never seen him around the Cheydinhal sanctuary, so he must be from another one._

The Bosmer sat down next to the Argonian's body, crossing his legs and putting his arms behind him to support him.

"Wood Elf!" he called out, "Come out from behind that tree, I know you're there. I won't hurt you, we share the same mother!"

_Damn, how did he know I was here!?_

Fareyna, though still only a lowly Murderer for the Dark Brotherhood, was wary of the unknown Bosmer, and did not move from her position.

"If you need proof," called out the elf, "I know what you are. You are a member of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary, who's Speaker is Lucien Lachance."

Fareyna considered this evidence, but was still leary of the Bosmer in the clearing. She called out to him "What is the color of Night?"

"Sanguine, my sister" called the elf. "Now will you end this childish horseplay and join me?"

Fareyna slowly rose from her crouched position and walked out into the clearing. She looked over the field which was splotched red with blood from the battle which had just taken place. She hadn't forgotten about her contract, though, and instead of walking to the Bosmer she walked past him and towards her target, still lying on the ground.

"No, please, don't kill me!" cried out the man, a Breton. Fareyna knelt down next to him and picked up his still paralyzed body by the arms, resting his back against her knee so that his head faced up. She took a dagger from her ankle sheath and pressed it to her lips, whispering "Shhhhh" to the Breton.

"No, don't, I beg of you! I'll give you any treasure that you ask, just please let me live!"

Fareyna put the dagger to his throat. "Now, if I do that," she said to him, "my father and mother would be most displeased. Besides, I've seen your home, been through your possessions. No treasure you own could come close to what I'm being paid for this." Fareyna drew the dagger across the Breton's throat, slicing deep enough to sever his vocal chords, ending his shouts and pleads for mercy. After a few seconds, he bled to death, there in Fareyna's arms.

Once the Breton was dead, Fareyna walked over to the Bosmer and sat across from him.

"Talk," she commanded. "What are you doing here, and why the Argonian?"

The Bosmer nodded and smiled at her. "The Argonian's name is Skoraiiva. He is, or, was the war chief of a group of marauders living on the western bank of the Niben Bay. His gang has been giving the nearby Bandits some trouble, and their leader called upon the Leyawiin Sanctuary to end their problems, permanently. The Nord they were chasing, Hrolfin, was a member of their group, but I paid him enough gold to make him talk about their leader. They found out and chased him here, with me following."

He looked over at the dead Breton, and then at Fareyna.

"So what's your story, fellow Bosmer?"

Fareyna looked at her kill, then at the elf. "An old enemy of his required our assistance to settle an old dispute between them. He wanted me to make it look like he was attacked during his travels, and I think you helped me with that, hah."

The Bosmer smiled at Fareyna. "Well, it was a beautiful kill. I would expect as much from such a beautiful woman. I must be going soon, I need to deliver the Argonian's heart to the Bandits. But before I go, I must ask you something."

"What?"

"What is your name?"

"Fareyna, what's yours?"

"Torven."

"Torven, that's a nice name. If you ever find yourself around Cheydinhal, come visit the Sanctuary. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

Torven laughed. "I'll be sure to do that, my sister. But if you see me 'around somewhere,' then it means I'm not doing my job right"

Fareyna chuckled. "True. Goodbye, my brother."

"Until we meet again, my sister."


End file.
